Martha's Meadow

Martha’s Meadow is a small botanical reserve whose floristic treasures were first brought to the attention of Berry College by botanists Pat Tomlinson and Richard and Theresa Ware. Although Martha Berry frequently took students to the site to study botany, the uniqueness of the site was not
recognized until the early 2000s. Although very small (
<2 acres in size), the vegetation of Martha’s Meadow is distinct from that of surrounding flatwood areas and appears to be floristically similar to a limestone glade. Limestone (cedar) glades of the southeastern United States are
characterized by high species richness and diversity, calcareous, limestone-based soil, and up to 26 endemic or near-endemic indicator species. Surveys of Martha’s Meadow in 2006 showed a total of 203 species in 56 families, including nine limestone-associated
species designated as rare in the state of Georgia. Juniperus virginiana, a key species associated with glade communities, is important in both the overstory and the understory. Other important overstory species include Pinus taeda, Quercus
shumardii, Q. muehlenbergii, and Ostrya
virginiana. The perennial grass Danthonia
spicata, the southeastern sedge Carex
cherokeensis, and the herb Verbesina virginica, which is commonly associated with alkaline soils, were among the most important understory species, but no well recognized limestone glade endemics have been found in the meadow. Two invasive
grasses (Festuca subverticillata and Microstegium
vimineum) are also among the most important understory species. Martha’s Meadow appears to be floristically similar to
several well-known limestone glades (e.g., Chickamauga National Battlefield). Evidence of on-going succession involving woody species suggests that the site might be best classified as a xeric limestone prairie (barrens) that requires
disturbance or active management to maintain canopy openness and understory diversity.